Lubricating equipment



1 Oct. 8, 1940. R Mc L 2,217,490

' I LUBRICATII qG EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 17, 1958 4 Sh e'ets-Sheet 2 a mini INVENTOR JM W 4 ATIORNEYJ' Oct. 8, 1940. R. MCNEAL 2,217,490

LUBRICATING- EQUIPMENT I Filed Feb. 17, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 l D Z Y s INVENT OR.

Oct. 8, 1940. I D. R. McNEAL 1 LUBRICATING EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 17, 1938 .4 Sheets-Sheeifi J INVENTORY I BY 7 N VMW I ATTORNEYJ.

' UNITED and when heat exchange units or coolers are in-' Patented Oct. V8, 1940,

v nmmzlcn'rmo.,ittinil rlunls'r Daniel Raymond McNeal, Abington, Pa assignor to Andale Company, Philadelphia, Pa", a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 17, 1938, Serial No. 190,971

16 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating equipment and is-especially concerned with a lubricant circulating system providing for the delivery of an uninterruptedsupply of lubricant to a mechanism for example, a turbine, for extended periods of time, so as not to interrupt the operation of the mechanism. In systems of this general nature, it'is frequently necessary that the lubricating oil be cooled so as to prevent over-heating troduced into the circulation itbecomes necessary from time to time to clean or repair the coolers. To meet this situation it has been common to employ coolers in pairs and to provide some valve means as shown, for example, in my cope'nding application Serial No. 87,408, filed June 26, 1936, issued February 13, 1940 as Patent No. 2,189,814, for the purpose of permitting transferring the circulation of the oil' from one cooler to the other without interrupting the supply of oil to the turbine or other mechanism with which the equipment is employed.

While the present invention is especially useful in connection with systems of the type Just mentioned, it is to be understood that many features 'of the invention are applicable to other similar situations and to a number of different variations of circulation systems for lubricant or other fluids. For purposes of convenience the invention is described in connection with a circulation system incorporating a pair of oil coolers.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to facilitate transference of the circulation from one cooler to the other without impairing the constant supply of lubricant to the mechanism with which the system is associated.

A further object of the invention is to facilitate draining of the oil from the cooler which is out of operation and at the ,same time ensure that upon refilling of this unit and placing it back in service, no air pockets will remain therein. The presenceof air pockets, of course, materially im- I pairs the operation of the cooler and in consequence might result in serious damage to the mechanism being lubricated.

In addition to the foregoing, the invention involves certain improvements in the structure of the valve =mechanism, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

While in the following description and in the drawings the invention is described and illustrated as applied to a lubricating system for the bearings of a turbine, it should be understood that this is done for .the sake of illustration only,

units and an oil supply and circulating system associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the valve mechanism incorporated in the system of Figure 1 for changing over the circulation from one cooler to the other, the view being taken substantially as indicated by the section lines 2-2 applied to Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the section of Figure 2 as indicated by the section line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 -is'a horizontal sectional view taken as indicated by the section line 4-4 applied to Figure 2;

Figures 5, 5a., 6, 6a, '1 and 7a are fragmentary horizontal sectional views taken through certain portions of the valve mechanism and illustrating different positions thereof. as will be described more fully hereinafter;

" Figure 8 is an elevational view (with certain parts in section)of a modified installation in which the heat exchange units and the associated valve are shown as submerged in an oil bath; and

Figure 9 is a vertical sectionai'view of the valve shown in Figure 8, taken as indicated by the section line 9-9 applied to Figure 8.

In Figure 1 a turbine is diagrammatically indicated by the reference numeral l2, this turbine having bearings 13-13 requiring continuous lubrication. A lubricant supply or reservoir is shown at M. The lubricant is withdrawn from this reservoir by means of pump .15 and delivered through connection it to the valve II from which, after passage through one or the other of the heat-exchange units. IB'and i9, the'oil passes 40 through the pipe 20 having branches 2i and 22 for delivery to the two bearings l3--i3. From the bearings ,the oil is returned to reservoir it through pipes 23, 24 and 25.

Each one of the heat exchange units is suitably mounted as on a base 26 preferably in upright position. Each unit is preferably of the tube and shell type, the shell space constitutiing the oil chamber and the interior of the tubes serving for flow of the cooling medium. The cooling medium may be introduced through an inlet connection 21 and caused to flow in' two or more passes lengthwise through the tubes, as by means of upper and lower headers 28 and 29, and ulti-- mateiy discharged through the outlet -connec- 55 tion 30. The internal structure of the heat exchange units themselves need not be considered in detail herein since they form no part of the present invention, per se. It is noted, however, that each unit is provided with a vent port 3| which may be blocked during normal operation, this vent port preferably communicating with the uppermost portion of. the oil chamber in the shell so as to ensure complete venting as when refilling a unit with oil. Similarly, each unit is provided with a valved drain connection 32 communicating with the lowermost portion of the oil chamber. The drain connection may, of course, be extended to any suitable point for disposal of the oil when a unit is emptied.

Unit l8 as shown in Figure 1 is provided with an inlet connection 33 and an outlet connection 34 communicating respectively with the upper and lower portions of the oil space in the shell. Similarly, unit [9 is provided with inlet and outlet connections 35 and 36, all of these connections being extended to the valve l1 and controlled thereby in the manner set out herebelow.

At this point it is noted that in accordance with the preferred practice of this invention, the inlet and outlet connections 33, 34, '35 and 36 are so located as not to haveany traps therein either for air pockets (which would impair venting) or for oil (which would impair draining). Stated in another way, each inlet connection is so positioned that at no point from the valve to the cooler does the connection extend in a downward direction. Conversely, each outlet connection 34 is extended so that no point from the 'valve to the cooler does the connection extend upwardly.

The valve l1 comprises a body having two upper outlet connections 31 and 38 associated with the pipes 33 and 35 extended to the coolers, and two inlet connections 39 and 48 associated respectively with the connections 34 and 36 which discharge oil from the coolers. In addition, the valve is provided with connections 4| and 42 which are respectively connected with the oil supply and discharge lines 16 and 20.

The valve member itself is of the plug type and takes the form of a truncated cone, the valve housing being provided with a correspondingly shaped socket positioned centrally by means of spider elements 43 (see Figure 4) and provided with ports described herebelow to 'provide for the desired oil flow to and from the coolers. The valve member is equipped with a stem 44 extended upwardly through the gland 45 for rotation by the hand lever 46. The valve may be slightly raised from its seat by means of a lifter handle 41 adapted to rotate the threaded shaft 48 and thus move it upwardly and downwardly with reference to the supporting bracket 49. An upward extension 50 of the valve stem is connected with'the threaded shaft 48 by means of a device 5| providing freedom for relative rotation between shaft 48 and the valve stem. This mechanism may be employed to facilitate turning of the valve by the hand lever 46 and also to ensure tight seating of the valve after an adjustment has been made.

Turning again to the valve member proper, as clearly seen in Figures 2 and 3, this valve incorporates three vertically spaced disk-like parts 52, 53 and 54 and two vertically disposed partitions 55 and 56 lying in planes offset from each other. The upper partition 55 intervenes between the disks 52 and 53 and constitutes an upper valvepart controlling flow to the inlet sides of the coolers. Similarly, the lower partition 56 intervenes between the disks 53 and 54 and cooperates therewith to form a second valve part controlling the return lines from the coolers. A supplementary vertical partition 51' extends at right angles from one side of the upper partition 55, as clearly-seen in Figure 4.

In the plane of the upper portion of the valve (parts 52, 53, 55 and 5]), the central sleeve or socket for the valve is provided with a main inlet port 58 communicating with connection 4| to the oil supply, and also with a pair of outlet ports 59 and 60 communicating respectively with the upper connections 31 and 38 of the valve body which are coupled with the inlet pipes for the two coolers. I

On the other hand, in the plane of the lower portion of the valve (parts 53, 54 and 56), the central sleeve is provided with a main discharge port 6| communicating with connection 42 and pipe 28 extended to the turbine bearings, and also with a pair of ports 62 and 63 which communicate with the lower connections 39 and 40 of the valve body which are coupled with the discharge pipes coming from the coolers.

The general operation of this construction can best be seen from inspection of Figures 5, 5a, 6,

6a, 7 and 7a, which are paired and which show horizontal sections through the upper and lower portions of the valve, in three different positions.

In Figures 5 and 5a the valve is positioned so as to shut ofi flow of oil through the cooler l9 and to provide for flow of all of the oil through the cooler I8. Thus as here seen the main inlet port 58 which communicates with the oil supply is delivering oil through. the port 59 to the inlet connection 33 for the cooler l8. The partitions 55 and 51 block port 68 which communicates with the, inlet connection for the cooler 19. At the same time in the lower portion of the valve, the partition 56 blocks port 63 which communicates with the outlet connection of cooler l9 and directs flow of oil from port 62 communicating with outlet connection 34 of cooler I 8 to and through port 61 which, in turn, communicates with the piping extended to the turbine bearings.

In Figures 7 and 7a the valve has been rotated approximately 90 in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Figures 5 and 5a and in this position the reverse condition prevails, i, e., the oil is caused to flow through cooler l9 and cooler I8 is blocked.

Inthe intermediate position shown in Figures 6 and 6a. the valve is located midway between the positions of Figures 55a and 7-7a, and in this adjustment oil is caused to pass in parallel through both of the heat exchange units, the vertical partitions 55, 56 and 51 dividing the flow, as is clearly seen in the drawings.

To clarify certain features of structure and operation, assume now that the cooler I 8 is in. operation (valve parts being positioned as shown in Figures 5-5a) and the cooler IS has been taken apart for cleaning or the like, and that it is now desired to return the cooler H! to active service and shut off the flow through cooler l8. For this purpose the valve is first moved in a clockwise direction, preferably a small amount so as to crack open the port 68 (Figure 6) and allow a small amount of the total oil flow to pass from port 58 out through port 60 to the inlet connection 35 for the cooler, I9. The valve should preferably be retained in this position for a period of time during which the oil space of cooler I9 is being refilled.

cated at a .level which is above the horizontal In accordance-with the invention, during this refilling operation the plug for vent ii at the f top of the-oil chamber of the unit I! is removed and the air is displacedthrough this vent as the oil'level rises in the shell. To ensure complete venting of all air from that side of the circulation system which is associated with: cooler i8,the central disk 53 of the valve is provided with a bypass port 84. -This bypass port interconnects the inlet and outlet chambers of the valve at that side thereof which is in communication with the unit is. Thus any. air which may have been trapped in the outlet connection 80 for the unit i9 or in the valve itself passes upwardly through this bypass 84 and .into the upper or inlet connection 3! for, the unit i9 and from there into the unititself and out of the vent 3i.

ready to be placed in active service. If desired- With the foregoingarrangement and operation", when oil is discharged from vent ii of unit is the operator has positive assurance that this unit is then completely filled with oil and is at this time the total oil flow may be divided and passed through the two units in parallel, in any desired proportion, -for instance, half through each unit, in accordance with the valve position of Figures 6- 6a.

Proceeding from this condition, assume that it is desired to completely shut oi! the unit l8 and utilize unit is only. For this purpose the valve is moved to the position shown in Figures 7-741 in which the upright partitions 55 and I1 block port 59 communicating with the inlet connection '33 for the unit l8. "Similarly, the vertical partition 56 closes port 62 which is in communication 1 with the outlet connection 34 of unit is. The

total oil flow then passes through the cooler ID by virtue of the interconnection of ports 58 and 60 at the-inlet side, and ports 63 and BI at the;

outlet side.

Now assume that the unit and must be taken apart and emptied of its oil for this purpose. The header 2! may, of course,

be removed from this unit and, if desired, the tube bundle withdrawn. To drain the shell space of unit i8, the valved drain 32 is opened and the oil will completely ,drain from the shell space,

, assuming either that the header 2.8 hasbeen removed or the vent ll opened. v I I For the purpose of ensuring complete draining of the" circulation system at this side, the

- central disk 53 'of the valve is provided'w-ith a drain port 65 providing intercommunication between the inlet and outlet connections 33 and 34 for the unit l8 and thus for complete draining of these connections as well as of the shell space through'the drain passage 32.

Upon refilling unit ll the operations described above for this purpose in connection with unit I9 would, of course, be followed and from the jforegoing it will be seen that the two bypass ports 64 and 65 in the valve provide for complete drainage and complete venting of the coolers Conversely, to accomplish the desired function 10: draining, it is necessary that the valve be 10- IO requires cleaning plane of the drain passages 12, and that no air on oil trapsappear in the associated connections.

. To accomplish both purposes and in the preferred form of the invention, as shown in Figure 1, the

valve is located in a horizontal plane lying intermediate the plane of the vents II and the plane 'of' the drains 32.

With regard to the foregoing it may be noted that the complete venting and draining of the "coolers involves the combined functidnsof the bypass ports and of the vents and drains themselves which communicate with the oil chambers in the coolers.

While as above indicated the preferred practice of the invention contemplates location of the valve at a level intermediate the vents and drains for the coolers, it is pointed out that if for any reason in some installations it is necessary to locate the valve above. or below'both the vents and drains of the coolers themselves, other vents or drains may be provided at the, high or low point of the piping or of the valve itself, in which event the bypass ports-64 and 85 oi the valvev wouldicooperate with the added vent or drain in essentially the same manner as is described above.

With further reference to the by-pass ports 6! and 65, attention is called again toFigures 5 to 7 inclusive, showing that in the positions of the valve where one or the other of the coolers is carrying the entire-oil flow, neither one of the by-pass ports "is operative at, that side of the system which is associated with the cooler in use.

Specifically (see Figure 5) when cooler Isis in.

operation, the ,by-pass 6 5 is connected at one end (its upper end) to a dead space, thereby renderterconnects the chambers in communication with the inlet and outlet connections for the cooler ll. A reversecondition prevails when the cooler is is in service, as will be apparent from inspection ofFigure '1. g I

In intermediate. positions (as shown for instance in Figure 6), both by-pass ports are effective to by-p'ass some oil but because of the (ing this port inoperative, while the by-pass 64 inrestricted cross-sectional area of the ports, the p total quantity of oil by-passed is very small and will therefore not noticeably impair proper cooling and lubrication. This condition (of Figure 6) in any event, is usually only a passing one measured in time by the time required to refill a unit which has been out of service.

The foregoing description relates to an arrangement in which the several devices of the equip ment, particularly the heat exchange units, are not submerged in a bath of oil (this being in contrast with the arrangement of Figure 8), although it is to beunderstood that at least most features of the arrangement of Figures ,1 to -7 inclusive are capable of adaptation to the submerged type of installation.

Referring now submerged'installation (and further illustrating a modified form of valve), a suitable'oil tank is indicated by the reference numeral 66, the oil level therein, being shown atli'l. A pair of 0001- era 68 and 69 are in large part submerged below the oil level in the tank, each unit being provided with a suitable header I0 and also with connections, such as shown at 1i for a cooling medium.

. In an installation of this type, the oil bath may,

of course, constitute the supply of oil for the system andsuitable connections would be extended from the valve to a point exterior of the tank to Figures and 9, showing a connection with Figures 1 to '7.

for the delivery of oil to the turbine bearings,

a return line and pump being included in the system to complete the circulation.

Each of the coolers is again provided with a vent 12 adjacent the upper defining wall of the oil space therein, this vent being well above the oil level 6'! in the tank 86. A drain pipe 13 is also employed for each unit, this pipe being extended to a point exterior of the tank and provided with a valve 14.

The unit 88 is provided with inlet and outlet connections I5 and I6 and, correspondingly, the unit 69 has inlet and outlet connections 11 and 18, all of which connections extend to the intermediate valve structure 19, the casing for which is provided with an arrangement of branches essentially similar to those described above in connection with the first form. The general operation of this valve is also similar to that described above, but in this instance the valve member is inverted with reference to the arrangement of Figures 1 to 7, i. e., the small end of the valve is positioned uppermost and the larger end toward the bottom, as is clearly seen in Figure 9. The

.valve again consists of three superimposed and spaced disk parts 80, 8| and 82 between the upper two of which and 8|) a single vertical partition 83 is arranged and between the lower two of which-(8| and 82) there appears a primary vertical partition 84 (at right angles to partition 83) and a supplementary partition 85 (at right angles to partition 84), this latter supplementary partition corresponding to the parti-- tion 51 in the valve device described above in Because of the inverted arrangement of the valve, the central valve sleeve or socket 86 is also inverted, having its larger end opening downwardly and the valve member is assembled by inserting the same through the lower end of the casing. A retaining device 81 is applied to the bottom of the valve casing after inserting the valve, this device having incomplete side walls so that it is open to the oil bath in which the valve is positioned. The device in question also serves to mount a spring 88 and an adjustment screw 89 therefor exerting pressure upwardly against the lower end of the valve so as to seat it tightly in the socket 86.

At the upper end the valve has a stem 98 on which is keyed a'gear segment'SI adapted to be rotated by pinion 92 connected with the operating shaft 93-which extends upwardly (see Figure 8) and carries a hand wheel 84..

A second upwardly extending shaft 95 is connected with the extreme upper end of the valve stem and on this shaft an indicating finger or the like is mounted for the purpose of giving an indication of the valve position at some suitable point above the tank in which the valve and the cooling units are submerged.

In a manner similar to that described above in connection with Figures 5 to 7 inclusive, the valve in this form is also provided with by-pass ports, one of which appears at 96, there being two of such ports, one positioned at each side of the'supplementary vertical partition 85 and extended upwardly therefrom at opposite sides of the single vertical partition 83 in the upper portion of the valve.

While the two parts of the valve are inverted in the arrangement of Figure 9 as compared with the arrangement of the first form, the functioning from the standpoint of switching oil flow from one cooling unit to the other is essentially the same. In addition, the operation of the by-pass passages 96 is essentially the same as for the bypass passages 84 and 65 of the first form. In the submerged installation, however, because of the location of the cooler units in the oil bath, the drain passages 13 are extended to a point exterior of the tank 68 in order to permit complete installation, it will be understood that the valve of Figures 1 to 7 inclusive may also be applied to a submerged installation. In this type of installation, however, the inverted arrangement of the valve as seen in Figure 9 is of advantage in that any leakage past the lowermost disk of the valve 82 immediately returns to the oil reservoir, as does also any leakage past the uppermost disk 88, there being an annular passage 91 around the valve stem 90 interconnecting the space in the valve body which is above the valve member itself and the body of the oil in which the valve is submerged.

The valve of Figure 9 does not require a lifting means to facilitate operation but employs a gearing of substantial reduction between the pinion 92 and the segment SI, and relies on spring 88 to maintain seating pressure at all times.

In conclusion it should be noted in connection with the systems described above that transfer-3 ence of the circulation of oil from one cooler to the other may be effected without any interruption in the supply of oil to the mechanism being lubricated. Furthermore, the arrangements provide against the trapping of any air in any part of the system during refilling and also against the formation of oil pockets during draining.

Modifications in addition to those discussed above may also be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, it being again pointed out that for drainage purposes the circulation systems at the two sides of the valve should ihave a drain port at a low point (for example, in the bottom of the cooleras illustrated in the drawings) and that for venting purposes the two systems should have vents at high points (for example, at the top ,of the coolers in the two installations described). This is true regardlessof the nature of the heat exchange units or the like which are employed and also regardless of whether some other devices are employed in place of heat exchange units, such as filters, or even in an installation where only one heat exchange unit (or the equivalent) is employed and at the other side of the valve the inlet and outlet connections are merely interconnected to form a bypass, in

. which arrangement the. fluid flowing through the valve may alternatively be subjected to substantial cooling or to no cooling or the fiow may be divided so as to cool only a portion of the fluid,

therewith and interconnecting the inlet and out let for one of said units when-the valve means is in position to shut off flow through that unit,

2 Lubricating equipment including in combination with aysupply of oil anda mechanism to be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units for cooling the oil, eachunit having an externally discharging passage communicating with its oil side or chamber in a horizontal plane adjacent at least one oi. the walls defining the vertical extentof said chamber, and an oil-circulating system associated with the oil'supply, said mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means providing for flow of oil serially through'said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said units, the valve means being located in a horizontal plane offset from said first plane to that side on which the oil chamber lies and having by-pass portage associated therewith and .interconnecting the inlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve means is in position to shut off-flow through that unit.

3. Lubricating equipment includingin combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units for cooling the oil, each unit having a vent adjacent the top of the oil side thereof, and an oil circulating system associated with the oil supply, said- -mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means providing for flow of oil serially through said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said units. the valve means i being located vertically at a level below the level ofsaid'vents and having by-pass portage associated therewith and interconnecting the inlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve means is in position to shut ofl' flow through that unit.

4. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply 01' oil and a mechanism to v be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units for cooling the oil, each unit having a drain adjacent the bottom oi the oil side thereof, and an oil circulating systemv associated with the oil supply, said mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means providing for flow of oil serially through said mechanism and alternatively.

through either one of said units, the valve means being located vertically at a level above the level of saiddrains and having bypass portage associated therewith and interconnecting'the inlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve'means is in position to shut oil flow through that unit.

5. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units torcool horizontal plane offset from said first plane-to that side on which the oil chamber lies and having a pair 01' bypass ports associated therewith, one of which serves to interconnect theinlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve means is in position to shut on not through that unit. and the other of which serves to interconnect the inlet and outlet for the other of said units when the valve means is in position to shut off flow through said other unit.

6. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to. be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units for cooling the oil, each unit having an externally discharging passage communicating with its oil side or chamber ina horizontal plane adjacent at least one o! the walls defining the vertical extent of said chamber, and an oil circulating system associated with the oil supply, said mechanism and said units and incorporatingvalve means comprising a valve device and a casing therefor having connections for delivery of fluid to and from f said mechanism and further having inlet and outlet connections for each of said units, all arbe lubricated, a pair'oi heat exchange or cooler units tor the oil, each unit having a vent and a drain respectively adjacent the top and bottom of the oil side thereof, andan oil circulating system associated with the oil supply, said mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means comprising avalve device and a housing therefor having connections for delivering oil to and from said mechanism and further having a pair of upper outlet connections for delivery of oil respectively to the coolers and a pair of lower inlet connections for the oil discharged from said coolers, the valve device having upper and lower valve parts cooperating respectively with the cooler inlets and the cooler outlets and providing for flow 01 oil serially through'sald mechanism and alternatively through either one or said units,

the valve means being located vertically at a level intermediate the levels of said'vents and said drains, and the valve device having ,bypass portage between its upper and lower portions providing intercommunication between the inlet and outlet for one 01' said units when the valve device is in position toshut of! flow through that unit.

8. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a Supply of oil and a mechanism to said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said-units, a rtion of said system ass'ociated' with each 0 said units having an externally discharging passage communicating therewith in a horizontal plane adjacent at least one of the limits of vertical extension of the system, the valve means being located in a horizontal plane offset from said first plane to that side on which the system lies and having bypass portage associated therewith' and interconnect}- ing the inlet and outlet for one of said units-when the valve means is in position to shut ofi flow through that unit.

9. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to be lubricated, an oil circulating system associated with the oil supply and said mechanism and incorporating a pair oi. heat exchange units for cooling the oil and further incorporating valve means comprising a valve device and a housing therefor having connections for delivering oil to and from said mechanism and also having a pair of upper outlet connections for-delivery of oil respectively to the coolers and a pair of lower inlet connections for the oil discharged from said coolers, the valve device having unitary upper and lower valve parts cooperating respectively with the cooler inlets and the cooler outlets and providing for flow of oil serially through said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said units, the portion of the circulatingsystem associated with each unit having a vent located in a plane adjacent the top thereof and the valve means being located in a plane below said first plane, and the valve device having bypass portage formed therein between its upper and lower portions providing intercommunication between the inlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve device is in position to shut oiI flow through that unit.

10. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to .be lubricated, an oil circulating system associated with the oil supply and said mechanism and incorporating a pair 01' heat exchange units for cooling the oil and further incorporating valve means comprising a .valve device and a housing therefor having connections for delivering oil to and from said mechanism and also having a pair of upper outlet connections for delivery of ofl respectively to the coolers and a pair or lower inlet connections for the oil discharged from said coolers, the valve device having unitary upper' and lower valve parts cooperating respectively with the cooler inlets and the cooler outlets and providing for flow of oil serially through said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said units, the portion oi! the circulating system associated with each unit having a drain located in a plane adjacent the bottom thereof and the valve means being located in a plane above said first plane, and the valve device having bypass portage formed therein between its upper and lower portions providing intercommunication between the inlet and outlet for one or said units when the valve device is in position to shut off flow through that unit.

11. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a reservoir of oil and a mechanism to be lubricated, a pair oi. heat exchange units for cooling the oil in large part submerged in the oil in said reservoir, and an oil circulating system connected with the oil reservoir, said mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means comprising a Plug valve device and a casing therefor having connections for delivery of fluid to and from said mechanism and further having inlet and outlet connections for each of said units, the valve means also being submerged in the oil in said reservoir and having its casing open axially of the valve for discharge oi leakage axially of the valve directly to the oil reservoir.

12.'Equipment of the character described including a valve device having a primary inlet connection and a primaryoutlet connection and further having two pairs of additional inlet and outlet connections, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet conwith the valve and interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs when the valve is in position to provide for fluid flow through the other 01' said additional pairs.

13. Equipment oi' the character described including a valve mechanism having a casing provided with a primary inlet connection and a primary outlet connection and further having two pairs or additional inlet and outlet connections, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs, at fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections oi the other of said additional pairs, vent means at a high point of each 01. said systems, a valve device in the casing providing ior alternative connection of the inlet and outlet connections oi either of said pairs in series'with the primary inlet and outlet connections, and bypass portage in said valve device interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs when the valve is in position to provide for fluid flow through the other of said additional pairs.

14. Equipment of the character described including a valve device having a primary inlet connection and a primary outlet connection and further having two pairs of additional inlet and outlet connections, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs, 9. fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of the other of saidadditlonal pairs, drainage means at a low point of each of said systems, means providing for alternative connection of the inlet and outlet connections of either of said pairs in series with the primary inlet and outlet connections, and bypass portage associated with the valve and interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs when the valve is in position to provide for fluid flow through the other of said additional pairs.

15. Lubricating equipment including in combination with a supply of oil and a mechanism to be lubricated, a pair of heat exchange units for cooling the oil, each unit having a vent and a drain respectively adjacent the top and bottom of the oil side thereof, and an oil circulating system associated with the oil supply, said mechanism and said units and incorporating valve means providing for flow of oil serially through said mechanism and alternatively through either one of said units, the valve means being located vertically at a level intermediate the levels of said vents and said drains and having bypass portage associated therewith and interconnecting the inlet and outlet for one of said units when the valve means is in position to shut off flow through that unit, and interconnecting the inlet and outlet for the other of said units when the valve means is positioned to shut oil flow therethrough.

16. Equipment of the character described including a valve device having a primary inlet connection and a primary outlet connection and fu her hav two pairs of additional inlet and outlet connections, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections 75 of one of said additional pairs, a fluid circulation system interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of the other of said additional pairs, each of said systems havingan externally dis- 5 charging port communicating therewith adjacent a limit of the vertical extent, of said system, means providing for alternative connection of the inlet and outlet connections of either of said pairs in series with the primary inlet and outlet connections, and bypass portage associated with the valve and interconnecting the inlet and outlet connections of one of said additional pairs when the valve is in position to provide for fluid 5 v I flow through the other of said additional pairs.

DANIEL RAYMOND MCNEAL. 

